Rajasekhara Reddy and aides feared dead

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, his two close aides and both pilots of the Bell 430 helicopter are feared dead, official sources said.

The team of defence officials who reached the hill top of Uttarakodur, 27 kms from Atmakur have reportedly communicated that there were no survivors in the crash. They have requested more men and materials to transport the bodies to the plain areas and to recover the wreckage.

In Hyderabad, senior officials went into a huddle to discuss the alternative arrangements, to fulfil the constitutional obligations of having a Chief Minister in place.